Book Synopsis:

A mysterious compound deep underground.
A love affair larger than a World War.
A fairy tale with atrocities.
And it all begins with one single letter….

Heidegger’s Glasses opens during the end of World War II in a failing Germany coming apart at the seams. The Third Reich’s strong reliance on the occult and its obsession with the astral plane has led to the formation of an underground compound of scribes–translators responsible for answering letters written to those eventually killed in the concentration camps.

Into this covert compound comes a letter written by eminent philosopher Martin Heidegger to his optometrist, who is now lost in the dying thralls of Auschwitz. How will the scribes answer this letter? The presence of Heidegger’s words–one simple letter in a place filled with letters–sparks a series of events that will ultimately threaten the safety and well-being of the entire compound.

Part love story, part thriller, part meditation on how the dead are remembered and history presented, with threads of Heidegger’s philosophy woven throughout, the novel evocatively illustrates the Holocaust from an entirely original vantage point.

My Review:

Heidegger’s Glasses by Thaisa Frank is a deeply philosophical, profound, and for the most part, depressing historical fiction novel about the Nazi atrocities of WWII.  Frank takes a rather intriguing look at the war, while she describes in rather vivid detail many aspects of the war, she goes a step further having a specific set of concentration camp prisoners live underground in a specially developed bunker where they are to write letters to families of prisoners already deceased to make them believe the dead are still alive.   This is not only pure genius but also serves to show the depths; literally, the prisoners will struggle through to live.   I enjoyed the philosophical debates they reminded me a lot of Russian authors who have written about Russian prison camps.  I found the strength of the prisoners to be moving and the story to be heart breaking.  Frank writes an absolutely brilliant novel with an unusual twist and style making her version of Nazi concentration camps to be one that will last for quite a long time in the reader’s mind as Frank’s message is one the reader will not miss.  It sounds rather odd to say I enjoyed Heidegger’s Glasses due to the oppressive and depressive tone, yet I truly did.  Would I recommend this book to everyone? Absolutely not, but I highly recommend Heidegger’s Glasses to adults who enjoy philosophical historical fiction and are prepared before hand that the novel is not an easy one to get through, for it is an intense, emotional book.  I strongly recommend Heidegger’s Glasses to book discussion groups as the author provides so much material to be mulled over.

About the Author:

Thaisa Frank has written three books of fiction, including A Brief History of Camouflage and Sleeping in Velvet (both with Black Sparrow Press, now acquired by David Godine). She has co-authored a work of nonfiction, Finding Your Writers Voice: A Guide to Creative Fiction, which is used in MFA programs. Her forthcoming novel, Heidegger’s Glasses, is coming out this fall with Counterpoint Press. Foreign rights have already been sold to ten countries.

Thaisa has taught in the graduate programs at San Francisco State, the University of San Francisco, been on the staff of various summer writing workshops, and written essays, including a recent Afterward in Viking/Penguin’s new edition of Voltaire. You can find out more about Heidegger’s Glasses and Thaisa by visiting her website.

For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.

I received a complimentary copy of Heidegger’s Glasses by Thaisa Frank from TLC Book Tours to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

From the Publisher:

They may have stolen my past, but I’ll never let them take my future.

When the walls between Man and Fae come crashing down, freeing the insatiable, immortal Unseelie from their icy prison, MacKayla Lane is caught in a deadly trap. Captured by the Fae Lord Master, she is left with no memory of who or what she is: the only sidhe-seer alive who can track the Sinsar Dubh, a book of arcane black magic that holds the key to controlling both worlds.

Clawing her way back from oblivion is only the first step Mac must take down a perilous path, from the battle-filled streets of Dublin to the treacherous politics of an ancient, secret sect, through the tangled lies of men who claim to be her allies into the illusory world of the Fae themselves, where nothing is as it seems—and Mac is forced to face a soul-shattering truth.

Who do you trust when you can’t even trust yourself?

My Review:

Dreamfever by Karen Moning is the fourth in her MacKayla Lane series and probably the darkest one yet in the series.  I have been rather fortunate to have read the first four consecutively, so I have not had to wait through the cliffhangers that have become Moning’s trademark.  The usual players continue on in Dreamfever where I am finding Mac less annoying than I did at first, and she is put through quite a few trials in book four, though I will not go into detail as the synopsis quite covers enough without spoilers.  V’lane is, well, V’lane, what more can be mentioned about him?  Now Barons is a mysterious riddle, we learn bits and pieces about his past and I must say I am intrigued by him, uncertain as to his sincerity, which makes him all the more mysterious.  Moning has quite a way with description, if it was not for her vivid descriptions, I do not think the books, and especially Dreamfever would come off as so dark and mysterious.  Moning has crafted an excellent series and I am certainly looking forward to book five, Shadowfever with the hope that it will answer all the questions I have built up through the four books.  As with the previous books in the series, I recommend Dreamfever.

About the Author:

Karen Marie Moning graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in Society & Law. Her novels have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists and have won numerous awards, including the prestigious RITA Award.

Visit Karen Marie Moning’s website.
Follow Karen Marie Moning on Twitter.
Karen Marie Moning’s Facebook.

For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.

I received a complimentary copy of Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning from TLC Book Tours to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

From the Publisher:

She was waiting for love–and found it in the most unexpected place.

Jorie King’s life is on hold. She has been waiting for Ben Zook to return to Lancaster County. Waiting for him to settle down and join the church. Waiting to marry him.

But when news arrives that Ben has been killed, Jorie is devastated. She finds unlikely comfort in the friendship of his brother Caleb. Friendship ripens into love, and two broken hearts plan for a life filled with the promise of a fresh beginning–until their worlds are turned upside down.

With her realistic characters whose weaknesses develop into strengthes, Suzanne Woods Fisher offers a reading experience that rises above the others. You will love growing in spirit with these complex people living the simple life as The Waiting transports you into a world where things aren’t as simple as they seem.

My Review:

An absolutely charming and delightful read, The Waiting by Suzanne Fisher Woods is the second book in the Lancaster County Secrets series, the first being The Choice and each can be read independently of the other.  Woods has set up a unique stage for an Amish story in The Waiting, which occurs during the Vietnam War and opens with a fair share of tragedy both within the close-knit Amish community and overseas.  Woods’ characters are exceptionally well developed and one cannot help but be drawn into their way of life, their hopes, dreams, desires, as well as the deep sadness that is experienced in this book.  The Waiting is a book of love, family, and choices with a beautifully described backdrop, lovely narration, and exceptional characters, especially Jorie King and the Zook family.  Whether or not one is new to Amish fiction or has read a lot of it, I strongly recommend The Waiting to anyone looking for a delightful and sweet book to curl up with.

About the Author:

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the CBA bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, Amish Peace, and Amish Proverbs. Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine. Suzanne is the host of a radio show called Amish Wisdom and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California.

Please visit the other blog tours for this book.

Suzanne Woods Fisher is holding a contest.

Suzanne will announce the winner during her FB party on October 28, 2010.

I received a complimentary copy of The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher from LitFuse Publicity Group. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

It’s Monday What Are you Reading is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs.

I Read and Reviewed (click the title to be taken to the review):

• Live Happily Ever After…Now! by Terry M. Drake
• One Dance With a Duke by Tessa Dare
• Heart of Lies by M.L. Malcolm
• Thumbing Through Thoreau by Kenny Luck
• The Secrets of Newberry by Victor McGlothin
• Desire Me by Robyn DeHart
• Virtually Deadby Peter May
  
• Summer At Tiffanyby Marjorie Hart
• A Hollow Crown by Helen Hollick
• Abbeville by Jack Fuller

This week I am planning to read:

• The Brothers of Gwynedd Part II by Edith Pargeter
• Day For Night by Frederick Reiken
• Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives by Josie Brown
• Mr. Rosenblum Dreams In English by Natasha Solomons
• Denial by Jessica Sterns
• A Cottage By The Sea by Ciji Ware
• The Evolution of Shadows by Jason Quinn Malott
• Short Circus by Stephen V. Masse
  
• Unbound by Dean King
  
• The Island by Elin Hilderbrand
  
• Dangerous Desires by Dee Davis
  

It’s Monday What Are you Reading is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs.

I Read and Reviewed (click the title to be taken to the review):

• Full Moon At Noontide by Ann Putnam
• Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
• The Art of Devotion by Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
• The Love Ceiling by Jean Davies Okimoto
• Captivity by Deborah Noyes
• The Six-Liter Club by Harry Kraus
• Conflicts With Interest by Michael Ruddy
  
• The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock
• Three Wishes by Carey Goldberg, Beth Jones, and Pamela Ferdinand
• The Weight of Shadows by Alison Strobel

This week I am planning to read:

• One Dance With A Duke by Tessa Dare
• Thumbing Through Thoreau by Kenny Luck
• Secrets of Newberry by Victor McGlothin
• Heart of Lies by M.L. Malcolm
• Desire Me by Robyn DeHart
• A Cottage By The Sea by Ciji Ware
• The Third Rail by Michael T. Harvey
• A Hollow Crown by Helen Hollick
  
• Unbound by Dean King
  
• Summer At Tiffany by Majorie Hart
  
• Amanda Memories by Dr. Joel R. Gecht
  

It’s Monday What Are you Reading is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs.

I Read and Reviewed (click the title to be taken to the review):

• The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch
• Put On Your Crown by Queen Latifah
• The Making of a Duchess by Shana Galen
• Spent by Avis Cardella
• The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C.W. Gortner
• The Last Track by Sam Hilliard
• Sweet Dates In Basra by Jessica Jiji
  
• The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

This week I am planning to read:

• Full Moon At Noontide by Ann Putnam
• The Art of Devotion by Samantha Bruce-Benjamin
• The Love Ceiling by Jean Davis Okimoto
• The Six-Liter Club by Harry Kraus
• Conflicts With Interest by Michael Ruddy
• A Cottage By The Sea by Ciji Ware
• The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock
• The Weight of Shadows by Alison Strobel
  
• Three Wishes by Carey Goldberg, Beth Jones, and Pamela Ferdinand
  
• Summer At Tiffany by Majorie Hart
  
• Amanda Memories by Dr. Joel R. Gecht
  

It’s Monday What Are you Reading is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs.

I Read and Reviewed (click the title to be taken to the review):

• The Language God Talks: On Science and Religion by Herman Wouk
• Returning Injury by Becky Due
• Marriage and Other Acts of Charity by Kate Braestrup
• English Trifle by Josi S. Kilpack
• The Last Christian by David Gregory
• Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas
• Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley
  
• The Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips
• Every Boat Turns South by J.P. White
• My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares
• Plan B by Pete Wilson

This week I am planning to read:

• Put Your Crown On by Queen Latifah
• The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch
• Spent by Avis Cardella
• The Making of A Dutchess by Shana Galen
• Freya’s Child by Alvin Franzmeier
• The Confessions of Catherine De Medici by C.W. Gortner
• The Last Track by Sam Hillard
• Step Out of Nothing by Byron Pitts
• Full Moon At Noontide: A Daughters Last Goodbye by Ann Putnam, David Hilfiker, and Thomas Cole
• A Hollow Crown by Helen Hollick (finish it up)
• Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman (I will get to this)
• They Never Die Quietly by D.M. Annechino (I will get this book read)

Visit next Monday to see if I managed to accomplish my reading goals.

It’s Monday What Are you Reading is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs.

Today is my 19th Wedding Anniversary and I am spending the day with my wonderful husband. I will be making my rounds as usual, I just may be a day late.

I Read and Reviewed (click the title to be taken to the review):

• My Heart and Soul by Marilyn Randall
• The Brothers of Gwynedd: Section One by Edith Pargeter
• Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon
• Être the Cow by Sean Kenniff
• The Cradle by Patrick Somerville
• More Than Conquerors by Kathi Macias
  
• Life, In Spite of Me! by Kristen Jane Anderson and Tricia Goyer
• Mirror Image by Dennis Palumbo
• Substitute Yourself Skinny Cookbook by Chef Susan Irby
• This One Is Mine by Maria Semple
• The Language God Talks: On Science and Religion by Herman Wouk

This week I am planning to read:

• A Hollow Crown by Helen Hollick
• Marriage and Other Acts of Charity by Kate Braestrup
• Returning Injury by Becky Due
• English Trifle by Josi S. Kilpack
• The Last Christian by David Gregory
• Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas
• Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley
• The Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips
• Every Boat Turns South by J.P. White
  
• My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares
  
• Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
• They Never Die Quietly by D.M. Annechino

Visit next Monday to see if I managed to accomplish my reading goals.